SINAI - Egyptian police uncovered several weapons caches in the Sinai Peninsula over the weekend, apparently meant to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Sunday.

Egyptian forces seized 190 fully assembled anti-aircraft missiles, 100 in al-Hasana in northern Sinai and 90 in ad-Daqqaq in the center of the peninsula.

In Nakhl, forces discovered a cache of 1,500 bullets, and in Sheikh Zuwayid, police seized machine guns and explosives.

Egyptian security forces also reportedly raided several weapons depots near the Rafah border crossing - a mile and a half from the Gaza border - where they found 10 anti-tank mines.

Police also seized 25 pounds of hashish and arrested several suspected drug dealers near the Rafah crossing, Ma'an reported.

According to Israeli sources, the shoulder-launched missiles are probably Russian-made SA-7s, known as the Strela, which could enable Gaza-based Hamas terrorists to shoot down Israeli military helicopters and other aircraft.

The Strela missiles could potentially target Israeli cities in the center of the country, such as Tel Aviv.